Confirmed with Link: 2019-20 NHL Season officially suspended due to COVID-19

[Felonious Python]

The rate the spread is going it will probably be held on empty arenas. I very much doubt the season will be cancelled.

I wonder what's going to happen to a much bigger sporting event... The Olympics

They used to do both Olympics in the same year until 1992, so there was a Winter Olympics in both 92' and 94'.

 

[These Are The Days]

God help us if they cancel the SCF... then we'll never get rid of Coop and be robbed of another chance to win it all with arguably our best team yet.

 

[berlin]

People need to chill the f*ck out.

 

[TheFurryPickle]

COVID seems pretty serious. The vast, vast majority will be fine, but if you look at places like Northern Italy, they're on lockdown. It's a significant disruption to life.

The issue is that us young, virile, stallions could be carrying it, not have any symptoms, pass it on to a senior (even a few stages removed), and they die. Good thing seniors don't like Florida.

As I see it, if the NHL is going to play without fans, they might as well go nuts with the creativity to bring fans to watch on TV. It doesn't make a lot of sense to alternate games in a 7-game series between empty buildings with airplane travel and hotels and all that.

I understand being sensible about it. Thats cool. I think I have just moved onto being facetious about it now. Other people can be serious.

 

[HoseEmDown]

I live near the theme parks. Once I see Disney and Universal start shutting down or even limiting people from coming in then I'll start to worry. Everything seems business as usual with them so no need to worry yet but once they do you know it's about to go down.

 

[Felonious Python]

I live near the theme parks. Once I see Disney and Universal start shutting down or even limiting people from coming in then I'll start to worry. Everything seems business as usual with them so no need to worry yet but once they do you know it's about to go down.

I don't really watch cable news much, but if they're trying to calm people down, that's the time to worry.

Local news does not count for this. They have to actually live among the community they're talking to.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

What’s everyones thoughts on playing in an empty arena? I think it would be devianting

 

[Todd1a]

What’s everyones thoughts on playing in an empty arena? I think it would be devianting

Well I'm not for it I want the nhl salary cap to go up next season to at least 84 million!

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Tampa is talking about postponing or cancelling all major events. Coachella cancelled, South by Southwest cancelled. WrestleMania is on the docks for being cancelled, meeting on Thursday to make that decision. High possibility empty arena for round 1 in Tampa.

 

[Todd1a]

Tampa is talking about postponing or cancelling all major events. Coachella cancelled, South by Southwest cancelled. WrestleMania is on the docks for being cancelled, meeting on Thursday to make that decision. High possibility empty arena for round 1 in Tampa.

wow an empty arena that would be so weird watching on TV for round one

 

[Felonious Python]

E3 is pretty much canceled. This was predicted to be the event the next gen video game consoles start to get unveiled, beginning with the PS5.

No video games.

CDC DO SOMETHING.

 

[Felonious Python]

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

If we play in an empty area won’t the boys be devastated? Will winning the Stanley Cup still “be the same”

 

[JoVel]

If we play in an empty area won’t the boys be devastated? Will winning the Stanley Cup still “be the same”

I'm sure they'd get their parade at one point. It would feel weird but at least it would stand out from other seasons.

 

[Felonious Python]

If we play in an empty area won’t the boys be devastated? Will winning the Stanley Cup still “be the same”

It won't "be the same" for somebody. Might as well be us.

 

[Letsgobolts21]

I think initially they would try and postpone the playoffs in the hope this passes versus empty stadium games.

Hockey unlike the other sports doesn't have the massive TV deal such that tickets--particularly playoff tickets are a major source of revenue.

 

[Felonious Python]

I think initially they would try and postpone the playoffs in the hope this passes versus empty stadium games.

Hockey unlike the other sports doesn't have the massive TV deal such that tickets--particularly playoff tickets are a major source of revenue.

I don't really see how postponing would work. It would push free agency closer to the opening of camp, but the deeper into the pandemic they start playing, the more widespread the virus already is. I'd think it'd be better to get it done quick.

The draft itself is a big event for the draftees and their families. They probably won't allow fans, but they could do like an intentionally retro throwback to the drafts of old that were held in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, and make it special that way. The place was renovated in 2017 if they want to go there specifically.

When the WHA was a thing, they did the draft by phone, although it took forever, leading to Sabres legend Taro Tsujimoto.

 

[Felonious Python]

9. The Danish league has suspended playoffs until April 1 and changed the format. Instead of a best-of-seven quarterfinals, semifinals and Final, there will be a round robin. Each of the eight post-season qualifiers will play each other twice, home and away. It will be three points for a win, two for an overtime win and one for an overtime loss. The No. 1 team from the regular season (Aalborg) begins with four points. Second gets three, third two and fourth one. It’s not perfect, especially for those top clubs who would be favourites in three full series. But it is creative, and gives a better chance of there being playoffs at all.

10. I mention that because it’s a) interesting and b) gave me an idea. If the NHL has to postpone/shorten the regular season, do you take the 16 current playoff teams, add those who are legitimately close enough to still get in (as of Wednesday morning: Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, Islanders, Rangers, Winnipeg) and create some kind of post-season tournament/play-in?

 

[LTIR Trickery]

Honestly, we should already be closing up a few things to the public for a bit to avoid a lot of things. It isn't just about getting sick, its about the rates of infections and overloading medical systems who aren't equipped to deal with hundreds, if not thousands of people getting a virus like this. The hospitals in Italy and China have shown just how quickly things can be overloaded. People might think its no big deal, and for a good part of the population that might be true. When you have family with compromised immune systems, or cancer patients, or the elderly, the death rate climbs drastically.

I think it was something from the CDC a couple of days ago that they thought one person, on average, would infect 3-7 people. I'm guessing this is honestly far worse than we already realize because we have no good way of testing genpop at the moment, now they're talking about how a Boston-based biotech company Biogen just had an event with 200ish people, and that a significant number of them are now infected. 70 of 92 cases originated at a buffet there and I would expect that number to climb. One person in a bathroom at a hockey game could infect dozens.

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I think we don’t realize how bad this will get in America.

The sad part in regards to Lightning hockey is it will wipe out what was our best team.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

I think we don’t realize how bad this will get in America.

The sad part in regards to Lightning hockey is it will wipe out what was our best team.

Why, are you going to infect the players?

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I don’t understand how drive through testing isn’t a thing in America

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

Why, are you going to infect the players?

I’d say it’s a 100 percent chance they don’t play in full arenas and a 50 percent chance the playoffs get canceled

 

[LTIR Trickery]

Oh they'll be playing in empty arenas. Not if, when. I don't know that the playoffs get cancelled though.

 

[Felonious Python]

I don’t understand how drive through testing isn’t a thing in America

There are a few drive-thrus operating in the US. (a few)

It's still a political thing so everything will roll out way too late.

The WHO are calling this a pandemic now officially, btw. Not that we didn't already didn't know that.

'Pandemic' on Netflix is relevant.